NHTSA Complaint #730358 — 1997 FORD EXPLORER

ALL OUR TIRES HAVE A SMALL "SEPARATION" LINE AROUND THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE TIRE, ACCORDING TO FIRESTONE'S AUTHORIZED DEALER, BELLE TIRE. BECAUSE OUR SPECIFIC TIRES WERE NOT PART OF THE INITIAL RECALL BY FIRESTONE, BELLE TIRE TRIED TO CONTACT FIRESTONE TO GET A DETERMINATION AS TO WHAT TO DO ABOUT OUR TIRES. THAT WAS THREE WEEKS AGO. BELLE TIRE AND US HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO CONTACT ANY DECISION MAKERS AT FIRESTONE-WE KEPT RUNNING INTO DEAD ENDS, EVEN THOUGH WE TRIED NUMEROUS PHONE NUMBERS AND 2 EMAILS, LAST WEEK, WE READ IN OUR LOCAL PAPER ABOUT ANOTHER PERSON WHO HAD OUR TYPE OF TIRES WHERE FIRESONE SAID THEY WERE OKAY AND THEN 2 WEEKS LATER, THE TIRES RUPTURED CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. THOSE TIRES WERE MADE AT FIRESONE'S CANADIAN PLANT, AS WERE OURS. WHILE THE LINES AOF SEPARATION ARE SMALL CURRENTLY, THEY ARE ABOUT 3/8 INCH BELOW THE TREADLINE AND ARE PRESENT AROUND THE ENTIRE CIRCUMFERENCE OF EACH TIRE. WE ARE VERY CONCERNED THAT THEY WILL EVENTUALLY PEEL AWAY FROM THE REST OF THE TIRE AND ARE LIMITING OUR DRIVING UNTIL WE HEAR DEFINITIVELY FROM FIRESTONE AS TO THE SAFETY OF THESE TIRES. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION.( DOT NUMBER: VNHL 1PY TIRE SIZE: P235/75R15 )